Linear contact horizontal spinning ring



Nov. 14, 1967 R N 3,352,096

LINEAR CONTACT HORIZONTAL. SPINNING RING Filed Nov. 22, 1966 Yarn '-B, QI 34 A, 40 A 28 32 44 0 FIG. 2

INVENTOR.

PETER F. GRISHIN United States Patent C) 3,352,096 LINEAR CONTACTHORIZONTAL SPINNING RING Peter F. Grishin, Sanford, N.C., assignor toRoberts Company, Sanford, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina FiledNov. 22, 1966, Ser. No. 596,187 10 Claims. (Cl. 57-119) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE This invention relates to horizontal rings as are used inspinning textile fibers into yarn and represents an improvement over myearlier issued patents, Nos. 2,857,732, 2,889,679 and 3,011,301. In theuse of such rings, the strand of textile fibers is presented to thebobbin through a wire link or traveler which is loosely mounted on thetop flange of a spinning ring. The traveler is rapidly rotated about thering at high speed, and the resulting yarn strand formed by theindividual strands of fibers is wound on a spool or bobbin mounted on aspindle. The present invention relates particularly to linearlycontacting horizontal ring and travelers cooperating during the spinningoperation to reduce excessive heating, the ring and traveler beingcontiguous along a portion of the inside ring Ill'Il.

Background, summary and objects of the invention A number of existingflanged ring and traveler combinations is designed on curved lines, andbecause the radius of traveler, at the point of contact, is larger thanthat of the corresponding radius curvature of the ring, contact betweenthe two is experienced at a single point if the traveler used is ofcircular cross-section. Thus, the pressure of the traveler against thering per square unit of contact area becomes excessive, leads to serioustraveler burn and thus prevents running higher speeds in spinning.

Another embodiment of traveler and ring construction encompasses a flattraveler of substantially rectangular cross-section which has .linecontact with the ring, i.e., the points of contact form a line extendingtransversely across the traveler rather than the single point contactexperienced when using a traveler of circular cross-section as describedabove.

In recent practice both the spindle speed and the outside diameter offull bobbins have been substantially increased, and the rate of travelerspeed relative to the ring has been correspondingly increased.Therefore, more rapid traveler wear and increased traveler breakage haveresulted. When traveler and ring surfaces engage each other withsubstantially point or line contact at higher relative speeds, thepressure of the traveler against this small contact point or linebecomes excessive and oftentimes intolerable. The friction between thetraveler and the ring flange at this contact location develops intenseheat which isdlstributed to both sides of the traveler about the contactsurface.

The present invention avoids this deficiency by permitting the top ringflange and traveler to cooperate in such a way that the contact surfacebetween the ring and a traveler of, for example, circular cross-sectionis extended from a single point to an infinite number of points byimparting to both the ring and traveler a substantially straight linedesign at the area of contact. Thus in this straight line concept, thesurface contact between ring-and traveler is increased by one dimension,i.e., with the flat traveler which normally has a straight line contactwith the ring, an area and not just a straight line contact surface isestablished, while with a circular crosssection traveler which normallyhas a single point of contact with the ring, a line and not just asingle point contact surface is established.

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With the foregoing in mind, it is, therefore, a general object of thisinvention to provide a particularly shaped bearing surface along thetraveler-engaging flange of a horizontal spinning ring which will coactwith the associated surface of a traveler to present a substantiallygreater traveler-flange contact surface with corresponding reduction inunit pressure and traveler heating.

To the attainment of this object, a relatively large bearing surface isprovided on the inner surface of a ring flange, and this surfacesubstantially conforms to the shape of the associated traveler surfaceto provide a maximum contact surface for heat dissipation and pressuredistribution. This surface is more strictly confined within limitationsthan heretofore experienced in ring and traveler assemblies because ofthe particular design configuration of the traveler andtraveler-engaging ring inner surface, the area location heretofore beingrather loosely defined due to variations in yarn pull and other factors.Increased yarn clearance in the traveler may also be provided bybeveling the upper inner portion of the travelerengaging inner surfaceof the ring.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a substantiallytrapezoidally and/or otherwise irregularly shaped traveler constructedfrom a circular or flat solid wire segment having a parted portion forreceiving the flange of a spinning ring therein and having a designconforming to the traveler-engaging inner surface of a ring flangeresulting in a substantially greater traveler surface contact with thecorresponding reduction in pressure and traveler heating.

With the foregoing objects and others which will appear in the followingfull description in mind, the invention consists in the combinations andarrangement of parts and details of construction which will now first befully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, whereinlike characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views, and then more particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

Figure description FIG. 1 is a sectional side elevational view of thespinning ring mounted in a holder which is secured in the upper face ofa ring rail illustrating the positioning of a spindle mounted bobbinwith a strand of yarn directed to the bobbin through the traveler.

FIG. 2 is a theoretical design of a ring-traveler combinationparticularly adapted to disclose the basic operating principles of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a preferred design of aring-traveler combination showing the upper flange of an improvedspinning ring together with an associated substantially trapezoid-allyshaped traveler mounted for slidable rotation around the ring flange.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a spinning ring generally designated 10 ismounted in a holder 12 which in turn is secured within the upper face 14of a ring rail 16. A bobbin 18 is mounted on a spindle 20, and a strandof yarn 22 is directed to the bobbin through a traveler generallydesignated 24. This particular arrangement of components and parts isconventional, and the present invention relates particularly to thenovel and substantially trapezoidally shaped traveler 24- and associatedring flange 26 about which the traveler rotates.

Detailed description The theoretical design drawing of FIG. 2 bestillustrates the basic and novel features of the present inventionincluding particularly the longitudinal line or area of surface contactAB between ring and traveler depending on the cross-sectionalconfiguration of the traveler generally designated 28. The interior wall30 of the ring generally designated 32 cooperates with the associatedtraveler 28 along a straight vertical portion 34 corresponding to andcontiguous with wall 30 of ring 32. The shape of the top 36 of flange 38is not critical and could be flat as represented by line CB or curved asshown in broken line COB. Another variation will be illustrated in thepreferred embodiment of the present invention concept.

A lower inwardly extending portion 42 of traveler 28 need only makecontact at point A for successful operation, though it is entirelypossible that as the traveler 28 til-ts during rotation about ring 32,lower portion 42 along its inner edge represented by line DA could haveline or area surface contact with the corresponding underneath portionrepresented by line EA of flange 38.

The inner flange surface 30 also represented by the line AB may containone or more slots (shown in a broken line and designated 40), thepurpose of which is to provide the traveler with a greater opportunityto be cooled by an air stream opposing its movement as it rotates aboutthe flange 38. Thus when a slotted indentation is used, the line or areasurface contact between the ring flange 38 and traveler 28 would bedefined along line BB and AA The produced dual lines or areas of surfacecontact would be more desirable than having a single point or line ofcontact as is the case in conventionally available rings.

In practical modifications likely to be made in the theoreticalillustration set forth in FIG. 2, it is obvious that the bottom portions44 and 46 of flange 38 may also be made by slanted straight lines andthese lines may be situated at different levels with respect to eachother, such a modification encompassed in the primary embodiment to bedescribed subsequently.

Although the cross-section of flange 38 at inner surface 30 along lineAB is substantially a straight line in the theoretical and preferredconfiguration, it may be preformed also as a large concave or convexcurved radius to cooperate with a matching curved portion of thetraveler. Additionally, the straight line AB may also be slanted downinwardly or outwardly according to convenience and need for particularspinning conditions.

The sharp corners at points A and B may be cut off and replaced byslanted straight lines, or curves of any reasonable radii. In the lattercase, however, care should be taken in retaining between points A and Ba sufficient straight line section to diminish heat and pressure at highefliciency, and it is suggested that at least one-third of line AB beleft when the corners are cut on circular lines. The upper cornerdesignated B may be cut on a concave curve to give more freedom for yarnduring a heavy traveler tilt.

As a preferred or suggested embodiment, FIG. 3 encompasses a number ofthe possible variations from theoretical FIG. 2 which have beenpreviously discussed. For example, the outer part 48 of the flange 50presents a substantially semi-circular contour of radius r which iscommon in such spinning rings, however, the inner traveler engagingsurface 52 of the flange 50 is of special design and formation, for thisinner surface includes a substantially straight inner or inside rim edge54 and a substantially straight lower edge 56, these two edgesintersecting and forming an angle of approximately 105 degrees (see FIG.3). The ridge created by the intersection of inner and lower edges 54and 56 is then slightly beveled thus creating a small radialcross-section of radius r to facilitate a beveled edge line or areasurfuace contact with the contour 58 of an associated traveler 60. Thusthe overall effect of the intersection of the inner or inside rim edge54 and the lower portion 56 of the travelerengaging inner surface 52 isto create a substantially angular cross-sectional design or contour tofacilitate substantial line or area surface contact between thetravelerengaging surface 52 and the bend 58 of an associated traveler60.

The upper inner portion 62 of flange 50 has a beveled contour ofrelatively small radius r and this radius may desirably be aboutone-half the length of the radius r previously discussed. Note that theradius r governs the beveled circular edge created at the intersectionof inside rim edge 54 of traveler-engaging inner surface 52 with theinwardly beveled portion 64 of the top surface generally designated 66of flange 50.

The upper or top surface 66 of flange 50 is peaked or roof-shaped toform a ridge 68 of approximately 150' created by the intersection of anoutwardly beveled portion 70 with inwardly beveled portion 64. Ridge 68lies within the plane of a normal vertical web 72 to impart structuralstrength to the flange 59 in the portion coincident with the web andalso to prevent the traveler from excessive tilting during movementwhich would otherwise trap the yarn against the ring top.

The traveler 60 is preferably constructed of a unitary section of solidcircular or flat wire or stock metal particularly shaped to resemble atrapezoid or other irregular figure having an upper edge 74 which issubstantially parallel with lower edge 76 having an access opening 78therein and two non-parallel sides 80 and 82. The ring flange-engagingportion 83 of the traveler is particularly designed to accommodate eventhe traveler-engaging inner edge or surface 52 of flange 50 during highspeed rotation of the traveler about that flange and is in substantialline or area surface contact with the coacting faces 54 and 56 of innersurface 52 for a relatively .long distance, so that the unit pressure ofthe traveler against the ring flange is greatly reduced, even with theuse of relatively heavy yarn. The increased line or area surface contactalso permits much more rapid heat transfer from the traveler to the ringflange, and accordingly, the overheating and burning of the travelers issubstantially reduced, with corresponding saving in lost time forreplacement, as well as a savings in traveler expense.

The provision of substantial yarn clearance at the upper inner portion62 of ring flange 50 prevents crowding and pinching of the yarn at thatlocus and effects a major reduction in yarn breakage.

Thus there has been described a novel and efficient ring flange having atraveler bearing surface which will present a relatively large travelersurface contact line or area and which will also provide increasedclearance space for large counts of yarn. There has also been describeda theoretical and preferred embodiment of a cooperating associatedtraveler of a unique configuration that will efliciently engage theflange inner surface and rotate on the flange about the ring withgreater efliciency than heretofore known.

Obviously, many modifications and variations may be made in theconstruction and arrangements of the travelerengaging inner surface, thebeveled portions of the top surface and the associated traveler as Wellas other phases of the present inventive concept in light of the aboveteachings without departing from the real spirit and purpose of thisinvention. Such modifications of parts and alternatives as well as theuse of mechanical equivalents to those herein illustrated and describedare reasonably included and contemplated.

I claim:

1. A horizontal spinning ring comprising: a vertical web with a topflange inwardly and outwardly overhanging said web, the inneroverhanging portion of said flange having a traveler-engaging innersurface including a substantially rectilinear inside rim edge, said edgeconforming to the shape of an associated rectilinearly contiguoustraveler moving about said flange.

2. A spinning ring according to claim 1, said travelerengaging innersurface also including a substantially rectilinear lower edgeintersecting said side rim edge which conforms to the shape of theassociated rectilinearly contiguous traveler moving about said flange.

3. A spinning ring according to claim I, said inner surface having atleast one slotted portion therein adapted to cool the contact surface ofthe associated traveler by permitting air circulation through saidportion as the traveler moves about said flange.

4. A spinning ring according to claim 1, said top flange having an upperinner portion adjacent said inside rim edge which is inwardly anddownwardly tapered to provide substantial traveler clearance space.

5. A spinning ring according to claim 2, said inside rim and lower edgesintersecting at an angle of approximately 105 degrees and said edgesbeing beveled at their intersection to facilitate rectilinear contactthereat with the associated traveler.

6. A spinning ring as claimed in claim 1, said top flange having a topsurface comprising a substantially straight inwardly beveled portion andan outwardly beveled portion, said beveled portions intersecting andforming a ridge for said flange top surface.

7. A spinning ring as claimed in claim 5, said top flange having anupper inner portion which is inwardly and downwardly tapered to providesubstantial traveler clearance space and having a top surface comprisinga substantially straight inwardly beveled portion and an outwardlybeveled portion, said beveled portions intersecting and forming a ridgeof approximately 150 degrees for said flange top surface, said ridgelying within the plane of said vertical web to impart structuralstrength to said top flange in the portion thereof lying coincident withsaid web.

8. A spinning ring as claimed in claim 3, said travelerengaging innersurface also including a substantially rectilinear lower edge whichconforms to the shape of the associated rectilinearly contiguoustraveler, said top flange having an upper inner portion which isinwardly and downwardly tapered to provide substantial travelerclearance space, said inside rim and lower edges intersecting at anangle of approximately 105 degrees and said edges being beveled at theirintersection to facilitate rectilinear contact thereat with theassociated traveler, said top flange having a top surface comprising asubstantially straight inwardly beveled portion and an outwardly beveledportion, said beveled portions intersecting and forming a ridge for saidflange top surface, said ridge lying within the plane of said verticalweb to impart structural strength to said top flange in the portionthereof lying coincident with said web.

9. A traveler adapted to cooperate with a spinning ring comprising: anupper edge and a lower edge substantially parallel thereto, said loweredge having an access opening therein to receive a ring top flange whenthe traveler is positioned on the ring; a first side connecting saidupper and lower edges; and a second ring-engaging side joining saidupper and lower edges, said second side shaped to engage rectilinearlythe ring flange inner surface when the traveler is urged thereagainst bycentrifugal force While rotating about the ring.

10. A traveler as claimed in claim 9, said first and second sides beingnon-parallel, and said edges and sides formed from a unitary section ofmaterial and particularly shaped to resemble a trapezoid.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,413,930 1/1947 Smith 571193,011,301 12/1961 Grishin et a1. 571 19 3,084,501 4/1963 Kluttz 57-119FOREIGN PATENTS 1,277,918 10/1961 France.

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

35 W. H. SCHROEDER, Assistant Examiner.

1. A HORIZONTAL SPINNING RING COMPRISING: A VERTICAL WEB WITH A TOPFLANGE INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY OVEHANGING SAID WEB, THE INNER OVERHANGINGPORTION OF SAID FLANGE HAVING A TRAVELER-ENGAING INNER SURFACE INCLUDINGA SUBSTANTIALLY RECTILINEAR INSIDE RIM EDGE, SAID EDGE CONFORM-